Committee advances automatic teacher step increases amid questions on bargaining law

The House Committee on Education passed SB2391 SD2 on March 19, a measure that would make annual step and longevity pay movements automatic for teachers subject to legislative funding. Supporters said automatic step movement would aid recruitment and retention; opponents cautioned the change may clash with collective bargaining rules.

Supporters: HSTA and education advocates urged adoption. “Annual step increase movements are subject to funding,” HSTA’s witness said, and making the practice standard would help keep teachers in the classroom.

Legal concerns: JN Mostow, the state's chief negotiator, told the committee that statutory language creating automatic increases had been repealed in 2016 and that chapter 89 (public‑sector collective bargaining) takes precedence over conflicting statutes. Mostow said step movement and longevity increases are typically bargained in successor agreements and do not automatically carry over from one contract to the next without agreement of the parties.

Committee discussion focused on how a statutory default would interact with bargaining law. Members pressed Mostow on whether statutory language could create legal conflict; he responded that chapter 89 and its implementing processes set the scope of collective bargaining and that successor agreements determine economic carry‑over. The committee adopted the chair’s recommendation to pass the bill as presented and move it forward in the legislative process.

Next steps: The bill was reported out of committee with the chair’s recommendation to pass; additional cleanup language was noted in committee discussion and may be addressed in floor negotiations.